The best year in McCallie athletics history just got better for the Blue Tornado swim team. After repeating as state champs back in February by defeating Baylor 397.5 to 258.5, McCallie finishes the 2023-24 school year ranked No. 1 nationally by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association in the independent-schools-under 900-enrollment category and tied for third nationally against all public and private schools with New Trier High School from the northern Chicago suburbs.
“This year was the best year McCallie has had in my 32 years,” said Coach Stan Corcoran, who won his 11th state title this past winter.
“It is probably the best the swim team has ever done. It is one of the best teams in McCallie Sports history, and it took a total team effort to achieve this. “
The top 3 team ranking is based on a school’s 3 best swimmers in each event and top 2 relays.
The 11 All-American swim performances were obviously a key reason for the team rankings. The NISCA grants All-American status to swimmers who turn in a Top 100 time nationally in that event. By that standard, the below efforts qualified:
200 Medley Relay - 25th in the country: Ben Bevill, Caden Wells, Asher Johnson and Benton Grutter - 1:31.15.
50 Free - 3rd in the country: Marvin Johnson - 19.56 (State & School Record); 40th in the country - Benton Grutter - 20.28.
100 Fly - 73rd in the country: Collin Holgerson - 48.85 - School Record.
100 Free - 6th in the country: Marvin Johnson - 43.31 (State & School Record); 75th in the country - Benton Grutter - 44.95.
200 Free Relay - 5th in the county: Benton Grutter, Chandler Neill, Tristen Hepburn, Marvin Johnson - 1:21.67 (State & School Record).
100 Back - 39th in the country: Collin Holgerson - 48.73; 94th in the country - Ben Bevill - 49.65.
100 Breast - 72nd in the country: Ryan Berry - 55.45 (School Record).
400 Free Relay - 8th in the country: Chandler Neill, Ben Bevill, George Goins, Marvin Johnson - 3:00.62. (School Record).
“And Marvin Johnson missed making All-American in the 200 Free by one one-hundredth of a second,” said Corcoran.
Nor does the future look like a major rebuild. The program’s top three swimmers _ Johnson, Grutter and Holgerson _ return and will be supported by a talented group just behind them.
“If we continue to work as hard as this team did, we should be pretty good next year,” said Corcoran.
Then again, as he also said after winning the state last winter, “We may never see a better team than this one.”